This reimagined condo by MONOCOT features a moody, material-forward palette, split-zone planning, and a stainless steel kitchen that’s equal parts statement and function.
Text by Aria Tan
The 1,334-square-foot apartment may sit quietly in a heritage-laced pocket along Kim Keat Road, but inside, it’s anything but conventional. Designed by MONOCOT for a well-travelled couple, this condo is a study in control and contrast — moody but not brooding, minimalist but not sterile.
The original layout was dated and compartmentalised, lacking the clarity and flow the clients wanted. Their brief: a home that could distinctly separate public and private zones, while allowing the social core — the kitchen, dining and living — to remain visually open and functionally integrated.
The result is a layout split cleanly down the centre. A striking stainless steel pivot door acts as both physical and visual demarcation between the private wing (containing the bedroom, study and bath) and the public-facing areas. When closed, it seals off the sleeping zone completely. When open, it aligns seamlessly with the kitchen’s clean lines.
In fact, the kitchen itself is a showpiece. Custom-built in full stainless steel and lined with kit-kat mosaic tiles from Monocot Shop, it evokes a utilitarian coolness rarely seen in Singapore homes. The aesthetic continues into the bathroom, where the couple merged two baths to create a generous, hotel-style shower zone — wrapped in a similarly textured monochrome palette.
While the finishes skew dark and reflective, the spatial choreography ensures nothing feels heavy. The living and dining spaces are fully outfitted with loose furniture — a USM TV console, Louis Poulsen lamps, and timber cladding at the bay window add warmth and variation. Furniture is the key injection of colour here, used sparingly against the backdrop of steel, wood, and black-stained parquet (a subtle nod to the home’s original flooring, thoughtfully retained in parts).
This is a home designed to keep up — with the couple’s pace, their travels, and their taste. It balances statement design with everyday practicality, creating a space that feels sharp, functional, and distinctly theirs.
Shop the Look
Living room:
Tiles from Rice Field
USM TV console
Flos lamp
Louis Poulsen table lamp
Dining room:
Tiles from Rice Field
Louis Poulsen pendant lamp
Kitchen:
Black Kit Kat wall tiles from Monocot Shop
Master bathroom:
Black Kit Kat wall tiles from Monocot Shop
Meir sanitary ware
MONOCOT
www.monocotstudio.com
www.facebook.com/monocotstudio
www.instagram.com/themonocotstudio
Photography by Studio Periphery
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